To Protect an Important Person
by JMJournot
Summary: In order to protect an important person, Lee goes above and beyond all expectations


Disclaimer: "Say it!"

Shikamaru: "No!"

Authour: "Fine, Temari!"

Temari: glares at shikamaru

Shikamaru: Shudders "Fine, the author does not own naruto or any of the characters!"

To Protect an Important One

It had been a simple mission. They were to infiltrate the Rock Country and gather information. For their team this was the simplest type of mission for they had the Byakugen. Lee looked down at the far away city unable to see anything but the largest buildings. "Neji, are you sure you don't want me to go down there and get a closer look?" Lee asked pleadingly.

"Lee, my eyes can see everything down there. You are unnecessary." Neji relied coldly. Tenten looked from Neji to Lee whose head was now hung low. _Why does Neji feel the need to constantly crush Lee's spirit. It kinda hurts to see Lee like this._ Tenten was the only one that could ever see the pain through the happy face that Lee put on. She was also the only one besides Gai to ever see Lee cry.

-Flashback-

She had been watching him from behind a tree one night, shortly after his surgery, when he left after their practice by going deeper into the woods. He had been kicking the tree when suddenly she heard a blood-curdling snap. She didn't need to ask. She knew that sound had been his leg breaking. She began to walk out to see help him when she saw a sight that made her jaw hit the ground. Lee, who by now had grown taller and more muscular and could no longer fit into his green spandex anymore, had dawned a black chain mail shirt with a blood red kanji on the back that read "Never Break!" and black pants with a blood red stripe down one side. Lee had also allowed his hair to once again grow long no longer being able to be styled into that of the bowl cut after the Godaime Hokage told him that if he didn't change it she wouldn't perform the surgery and if he ever changed it back she would put him in a worse condition than Gaara did. Lee removed his shirt revealing his extremely toned and well built body and wrapped the shirt around his leg tieing it tight around his leg. He then set the bone with another bone-curdling crack without letting out so much as a wince. Lee repeated the words that Neji said to him many times, "You can never beat me. You are unnecessary." A small tear escaped from his eye. Lee continued to pound away at the log despite his injury. Tenten just stood there marveling at him.

-Present-

She had grown to respect him greatly after that incident and had even become angry at Neji once or twice when he said such things to Lee. She was quickly brought back to reality when Neji spoke. "We're done here. Lets go!" Neji said as he stood up and speed into the forest. "Come on Lee, lets not get left behind." Tenten said looking at the smiling boy. "Yosh!" Lee said as they sped after Neji. They had been traveling for about five minutes when Neji motioned for all of them to stop. "Whats wrong Neji?" Lee questioned.

"We have company!" Neji said whirling to face the incoming attackers. With a flash three Rock Jounin burst into view. Neji shook his head. "Three Jounin against us. Such an unfair fight," he laughed. "I don't even need my Byakugen for this!" He said as he lunged at one of the jounin. Lee quickly sped at one of the jounin but just milliseconds before hitting him with his outstretched fist, he disappeared and then quickly reappeared behind the confused jounin and with a bone shattering kick to the back knocked the man cold. He then looked around the area. Neji's man lay dead on the ground the boy's eyes showing no hint of using the Byakugen. Tenten's man was pinned against a tree with a large amount of kunai embedded in his chest. He was dead as well. Lee shook his head and thought to himself. _Why is it that I am the only one that never kills. Why do the others feel the need to kill?_ All three were thinking about this battle so intently that they failed to notice the vines that were creeping up around their body, that is until it was already too late.

"What the hell is this!" Neji cried desperately trying to escape to no avail. Lee and Tenten were going through the same struggle. The vines bound Neji with his arms spread apart taking away any chance of him using a ninjitsu to escape. Tenten was bound similarly but not before she was able to take the string in her hand and move it her her mouth. Lee being unable to use ninjitsu was bound with his hands together. He also had twice as many vines around his legs as the others did making it impossible for him to move even with his superior strength. Suddenly a man stepped into view. "Well if it isn't that weak little Konoha Team, team Gai." the man laughed, "and where is your busy body sensei? Oh wait thats right he's probably still in the hospital from his run in with my squad last week. Oh and what do we have here. Yes, it is, a young Hyugga. With those beautiful Byakugen eyes. I think i will be taking them back to my superiors." The man pulled a kunai and moved towards Neji. Tenten, seeing the man step into position, released the string in her mouth sending a barrage of kunai his direction. The man skillfully dodged most of the kunai but one managed to scrape along his face drawing blood and leaving a deep scratch.

"Damn wench!" The man cried as he spun toward Tenten. "It seems as though i will have to kill you first. With this the man pulled a set of shuriken from his pack and launched them at Tenten. "NOOOOO!" Lee screamed in his mind. Time seemed to freeze. Lee's heart raced. _If he didn't do something quick Tenten would die. But what could he do? Struggling against the vines did nothing and besides he had no time he had to do something NOW! _ Something inside of Lee snapped and his body seemed to react on its own. His hands began to form symbols at an amazing speed and suddenly like a fire inside of him had been awakened he screamed, "Ninpo: Earth Wall Ninja Technique." A large wall of mud shot up infront of Tenten stopping the kunai from hitting her. She opened her eyes. _How did this wall get here? Neji doesn't know any earth techniques does he? No, and besides his hands are bound, he couldn't form the seals. Then how?_ "WHAT!" the enemy ninja screamed he turned to look at Neji. "How, how did you? Your hands are bound! How is this possible?" Neji's eyes were wide with surprise. _It couldn't be possible could it? Lee couldn't use ninjitsu techniques. But he had. Neji had seen him form the seals with his own eyes. But how? How was it possible?_ A fire had been ignited in Lee. A fire like he had never felt before. It felt like chakra was just pouring out of him. Before he knew it he was forming seals once again. "Ninpou: Earth Envelopment Ninja Technique." He said as a wall of mud enveloped his body breaking the vines as it shot up through them. The man whirled to stare at Lee who was now completely covered in a mound of mud. Charging at the mud wall that was currently covering Lee but when he hit it sending his hand completely through it. Lee was now behind Tenten who was still in shock. "Tenten are you ok?" Lee repeated. "Lee...you...wall...save...how?" Tenten stuttered still in disbelief at the large wall in front of her.

"Not a clue," Lee replied, "but I'll be back to set you free after i take care of this guy." _Its all an illusion. Lee didn't really do it. Its a plan of Neji's right? Neji did it and made it look like he did in order to confuse the enemy right?_ Lee stepped out from behind the wall protecting Tenten and stared at the attacker. "Lets finish this now!" Lee cried as he charged the enemy. As he ran at the enemy he formed hand seals but instead of another wall which the ninja expected Lee sent him flying upwards with a smashing kick. The man then felt Lee's bandages wrapping around him. "Taijustu Ninja combination technique: Secondary Lotus Earth Dragon Engulfment." Lee began to spin at an amazingly fast speed as the opponent and him hurtled toward the ground. Suddenly the man noticed that an Earth Dragon with mouth open was shooting up from the once solid ground. Lee released him and jumped to the side as the dragon swallowed the man whole. All that could be heard was a blood curdling scream before the dragon sank back into the ground. "Hmmpf," Lee said quietly to himself, "No one attempts to kill my important person and lives to regret it!" He walked over to Neji and began untieing him. As soon as the vines released him Neji feel to the ground in an amazed stupor. "Lee you..." was all he was able to muster before sinking back into his unbelieving stare at his teammate. Meanwhile Tenten was lost in her own little world._ Did he just say that I was his important person? And why the hell am I blushing? I shouldn't be blushing. Shit he is coming this way. Ok Tenten calm down._

_"_Ummmm Tenten-chan are you ok? Your face looks kind of red." Lee said after untieing her.

"I'm fine Lee-kun, really I am." she said. _ Shit did I just call him kun. Damn what is wrong with me. Damn I'm blushing again why am I blushing. "_Come on Neji, Lee, lets get going we need to make it back to Konoha by dark." she said as she started to walk forward. Suddenly she fell to the ground feeling her legs begin to go numb. "Whats wrong Tenten?" Neji said still in a stupor from the battle between Lee and the enemy ninja.

Tenten attempted to stand but fell to the ground again. She looked and saw a cut on her leg. Neji and Lee had both noticed as well. "She's cut." Lee said. "Ya, and from the look of it," said Neji while using his Byakugen, " its filled with poison." Lee took out his first aid kit and began to open it. Neji stopped him. "Don't bother. There is nothing we can do for her here. We need to get her back to Konoha as quick as possible or she will die." Neji said.

"But that is at least a whole day away!" cried Lee. Tenten's face began to turn red and her vision began to get hazy. Lee picked her up and looked at Neji. Neji understood immediately. "I'll be fine Lee," Neji said, "go and make it as fast as you can!" With that Lee was gone. A large crater where he once stood was all that remained. Neji looked at Lee stunned. He had never seen Lee move so fast. Not even in the fight against Gaara when Lee had released the fourth gate. _So I was right, she is your important person!_ It was then that it hit Neji. Lee was moving that fast but Neji had not seen Lee activate any of the eight gates. Neji quickly scowered the area. What he found brought a look of almost pure disbelief to Neji's eyes. Not only had Lee not released any of the gates but the fool had forgotten to remove the almost four-hundred pounds worth of weights on his body.

-Flashback-

Neji sat infront of Gai after being scolded once more for putting Lee down. _Gai-sensei always protects that idiot_. Suddenly Gai looked Neji straight in the eyes. "Neji, you should watch your words around Lee, and you should also watch your back, for Lee may not be as strong as you are now, but he is willing to risk his life and his way of the ninja to protect his important people and that fact will not only allow him to surpass you but me as well."

-Present-

"Hmmpf, so thats what Gai-sensei meant when he said that Lee could surpass both of us." Neji began the day long hike back to Konoha trying to make it back as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Lee was blazing through the forest at an unimaginable speed. Suddenly he heard Tenten speak. "Lee, I'm sorry..." with that her body fell limp. Lee panicked, with a burst of energy he didn't know that he had he increased his speed tenfold. In the distance he could see the walls of Konoha. He sped through the gate so quickly that he was already at the Konoha Hospital before the ANBU guarding the gate were able to radio the Hokage that a strange dust trail had appeared in the distance as was heading toward them. Lee burst through a hospital room door startling the nurses. "She needs help!" he gasped as he handed Tenten to one of the nurses. Lee then collapsed to the floor unconscious. Tenten opened her eyes. _She was in a hospital, but how did she get here?_ She remembered feeling Lee pick her up and take off. She sat up straight in bed. "Tenten! Your OK!" Neji and Gai screamed. "Ya, i guess," said Tenten shakily, "but where is Lee?" At this her sensei's face dropped. "He's in the emergency care facility. Tsunade-sama has been working on him all night!"

"WHAT!" cried Tenten, "WHY!" "The fool was so worried about getting you back to safety that he didn't notice that he had also been cut. The strenuous activity of bringing you back caused the poison to spread quicker. It nearly killed him." Neji said, his voice barely able to remain calm, only cracking once or twice. With those words Tenten flew out of bed and into the Emergency Room. Lee lay on a table unconscious. The machine monitoring his heart was erratic and Tsunade stood over him with green chakra flowing out of her hands. "Live Dammit!" Tsunade cried.

Tenten rushed to Lee's side. She took his hand in hers and began to squeeze it. _Please Lee, Don't Die. I need you._ The machine flatlined and Tsunade pulled her hands back. Gai and Neji burst through the door and as they saw Lee tears filled their eyes. Tenten could not hold back her pain. She squeezed Lee's limp hand even tighter and buried her head in his chest. "Lee, don't leave me. Please don't leave me here alone," she sobbed. Minutes passed and suddenly she felt a small twitch in Lee's hand. A small thump could be heart resonating from Lee's chest. She turned to look at his face. The eyes opened just a crack and Lee whispered, "Don't worry Tenten, I won't ever leave you, that's my way of the ninja." At this point Neji and Gai had realized that Lee was once again alive. Gai was on his knees with tears streaming from his eyes. Neji was just staring at Lee barely able to hold back his tears. "Besides," Lee said, " I still have to kick Neji's ass." Lee turned his head to look at Neji. Neji's stared at Lee and laughed. "You can't beat me. I'm a genius." He then turned to Tsunade and whispered, "How many days till Lee will be able to train again."

"About a week, why?" Tsunade replied. Neji said nothing he just bowed to her as he sprinted out the door. _ Shit! Only a week. That means i have less than seven days to train and make sure that I can actually beat him!_ Neji thought and calculated Lee's newfound speed minus the four-hundred pounds of weight and shuddered. Tsunade looked at Lee. "Get some sleep, you'll be back to normal in a week, but if you try to leave before then.." Tenten finished the sentence for her "I'll Kill YOU!" She said looking at Lee through amazingly stern eyes. Tsunade then looked at Tenten. "You should get some rest too." and with that she grabbed Gai's arm and pulled him out the door.

Lee looked up at Tenten with sorrow in his eyes. "Tenten, I'm sorry I worried you, I prom..." Tenten placed a finger on his lips signaling for him to stop. She then bent down and placed a passionate kiss on his lips. "Now get some sleep," she said while squeezing his hand lovingly, "I'll be here when you wake up." Lee reluctantly closed his eyes but sleep came easily, especially with the sleeping Tenten's head using his chest as a pillow. _Goodnight my beautiful Tenten. _Lee thought as he slowly drifted to sleep.


End file.
